WINE & FOOD PAIRING

Tasting Grid

Apple Lemon Cheddar Walnut Beef

sugar acid sugar acid sugar acid sugar acid sugar acid

fat bitter fat bitter fat bitter fat bitter fat bitter
salt salt salt salt salt

Riesling
Components: Score Score Score Tasting Instructions
fruit acid Affect on wine: +, -, ~ 1. Taste the Riesling.
sugar tannin fruit fruit fruit a. Circle the important components (fruit, sugar, acid, tannin,
alcohol) for the wine.
alcohol sugar sugar sugar
b. Circle the body for the wine.
acid acid acid c. Then fill in the wine’s flavors.
Body: light - med - full
tannin tannin d. Fill in the alcohol % from the bottle.
Flavors: tannin
2. Repeat for each wine.
alcohol alcohol alcohol 3. Taste each food on its own. Circle the important components
for each.
Sauvignon Blanc
4. Taste the Riesling (and remember to spit!).
Components: Score Score Score
a. Then taste the apple, followed by the Riesling again
fruit acid b. Fill in the score (A, B, C, D, F)
tannin fruit fruit fruit c. Indicate how the food affected the wine’s components
sugar
(increased perception, decreased, or no change).
alcohol sugar sugar sugar
5. Taste the lemon and then the Riesling. Fill in the score and
acid acid acid the affect. Repeat for cheddar.
Body: light - med - full 6. Have a sip of water before moving on to the next wine.
tannin tannin tannin
Flavors: 7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the SB.
alcohol alcohol alcohol 8. Continue by tasting each wine with all the food options next
to it.
Chardonnay
Components: Score Score Score Score Score
fruit acid

sugar tannin fruit fruit fruit fruit fruit

alcohol sugar sugar sugar sugar sugar

acid acid acid acid acid

Body: light - med - full
tannin tannin tannin tannin tannin
Flavors:
alcohol alcohol alcohol alcohol alcohol

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 WINE & FOOD PAIRING
Tasting Grid

Apple Lemon Cheddar Walnut Beef

sugar acid sugar acid sugar acid sugar acid sugar acid
fat bitter fat bitter fat bitter fat bitter fat bitter
salt salt salt salt salt

Pinot Noir
Score Score Score Score Score
Components:

fruit acid
fruit fruit fruit fruit fruit
sugar tannin
sugar sugar sugar sugar sugar
alcohol
acid acid acid acid acid

tannin tannin tannin tannin tannin

Body: light - med - full
Flavors:
alcohol alcohol alcohol alcohol alcohol

Cabernet Sauvignon
Score Score Score
Components:

fruit acid
fruit fruit fruit
sugar tannin
sugar sugar sugar
alcohol
acid acid acid

tannin tannin tannin

Body: light - med - full
Flavors:
alcohol alcohol alcohol

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 WINE & FOOD PAIRING:
Tasting Grid

Sugar Cookie Chocolate

sugar acid sugar acid

fat bitter fat bitter

salt salt

Riesling
Components: Score
fruit acid

sugar tannin fruit

alcohol sugar

acid
Body: light - med - full tannin
Flavors:
alcohol

Sauvignon Blanc
Components: Score
fruit acid

sugar tannin fruit

alcohol sugar

acid
Body: light - med - full tannin
Flavors:
alcohol

Cabernet Sauvignon
Components: Score
fruit acid

sugar tannin fruit

alcohol sugar

acid
Body: light - med - full tannin
Flavors:
alcohol

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 WINE & FOOD PAIRING
Tasting Grid Answers

Apple Lemon Cheddar Walnut Beef

sugar acid acid fat fat
salt fat bitter salt
Riesling
Components: Score: C Score: C/D Score: C/D
fruit acid fruit - fruit + fruit
sugar
sugar sugar + sugar + seems sweeter ■ Italics indicate that the component is a factor,
acid (+ if fruity apple)
but at low levels
% alcohol acid - acid -
(- if tart apple)
alcohol alcohol alcohol
Body: med
Flavors: citrus, peach ■ ■ Acidity in wine can almost stand up ■ Fat coats mouth so cheese
Wine can be neutralized as fruit is
to lemon, but not quite. overpowers wine ■
mineral, floral decreased by fruity apple
Parentheses indicate that the affect may occur or
that it might not be very pronounced.
Sauvignon Blanc
Components: Score: D Score: C Score: C

fruit acid fruit - fruit - fruit -

■ Some scores are given as ranges to indicate
sugar
acid ++ (only taste left) acid -- varying personal preferences.
acid ~ or -
% alcohol
alcohol alcohol alcohol
Body: med ■ Apple acid decreases after SB, ■ Leaves a creamy texture ■ Wine loses flavor
Flavors: citrus, grapefruit, rounder – yum ■ Lemon kills acid in wine ■ Herbal character becomes
herbal, acid finish ■ Need fruity and sweet wine w/ fruit ■ Without fruit or acid, wine is dull. pronounced
sauces or chutneys

Chardonnay
Components: Score: B/C Score: B/C Score: B/C Score: A/B Score: B
fruit acid fruit - fruit +) fruit fruit fruit
tannin
acid acid - acid acid - acid
% alcohol
tannin + tannin tannin ~ tannin tannin
Body: full alcohol alcohol alcohol alcohol alcohol
Flavors: lemon,
■ If the apple is fruitier than the ■ (+) If lemon is ripe, fruit can ■ After the apple and lemon, the ■ Wine and food both more lush ■ Usually matches
green apple,
wine, it creates a bitter finish increase to create a lemony wine cheddar brings the wine back ■ Fat cuts acid ■ Tannins—as in reds—can stand up
pear, vanilla,
in balance ■ Flavor bridge = nut, vanilla, toasty to fat
smoke, toast, ■ Full bodied white goes with lighter
■ ■ Bitter walnut skin can emphasize
butterscotch Nothing thrilling meats; cold beef is lighter than hot
tannins.

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 WINE & FOOD PAIRING
Tasting Grid Answers

Apple Lemon Cheddar Walnut Beef

sugar acid acid
fat bitter fat bitter fat

salt salt

Pinot Noir
Components:
Score: C/D Score: C/D Score: B Score: B/C Score: C

fruit acid fruit - fruit -- fruit gone fruit + fruit fruit (-)

+
tannin
acid + acid + acid - softened acid - acid -
% alcohol
tannin + tannin tannin tannin + tannin (-)

alcohol alcohol alcohol alcohol alcohol

Body: med to light
Flavors: strawberry, ■ ■ ■ ■
The wine becomes harder as the ■ Tart and hard wine Fat softens acid and makes Fat cuts acid, but bitterness OK, but neither is better
raspberry,
fruit is decreased. wine seem more fruity & in skin bumps up tannins Warm beef would be heavier,
ripe fruit
sweet ■ Earthy flavor bridge richer, less salty
■ Earthy flavor bridge

Cabernet Sauvignon
Components:
Score: C Score: A/B Score: A/B

fruit acid fruit + up front fruit + returns fruit back to ~

tannin
acid + acid back to ~
acid
% alcohol
tannin + tannin back to ~
tannin

alcohol alcohol alcohol

■ After wine, apple seems sweet, ■ Cheddar decreases oak tannins ■

Body: full to medium Wine is back to itself
perfumed ■ Wine is once again balanced as ■
Flavors: ripe berries, Tannins and acid
■ After fruit, wine is hard on the finish fruit returns somewhat
cherry ,currant, balance the fat
plum, vanilla, ■ Cheese might be a bit heavy ■ Wine lush /food rich
toasty for wine.

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 WINE & FOOD PAIRING
Tasting Grid Answers

Sugar Cookies Chocolate

sugar sugar

fat fat bitter

Riesling
Components: Score: C
fruit acid fruit
sugar +
tannin
acid
% alcohol
Body: medium alcohol
Flavors: citrus, peach
■ Sugar and butter on finish –
mineral, floral
very sweet, but it does work.

Sauvignon Blanc
Components: Score: D
fruit acid fruit -

dry
acid +
% alcohol
alcohol
Body: light
■ Tart, disjointed
Flavors: citrus, grass,
grapefruit, ■Wine should be sweeter than
acid finish dessert

Cabernet Sauvignon
Components: Score: B/C/D

fruit acid fruit +

tannin acid
% alcohol tannin +
Body: full to medium alcohol
Flavors: ripe berries, ■ With dark choc, wine starts off like
cherry, currant, choc cherries, but sweetness
plum, vanilla, increases tannins on finish
toasty ■ With milk choc, ick

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